Crikey Clarifier: the knights (and dames) of the occasional table

Tony Abbott has revived knights and dames. We look at who will pick them and how, and examine who’s in line for the (new) top gong.

Arise, Sir John! The Coalition government has revived knighthoods after a 30-year hiatus. Will we see John Howard sent to Buckingham Palace to be tapped with a sword by Queen Elizabeth?

Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s decision to resuscitate the William-the-Conqueror-era honours has delighted monarchists, annoyed republicans and baffled some people who are neither. Crikey explains how the new system will work and we ask monarchists who they nominate for the top gong …

How will the system work?

Knighthoods were bestowed in Australia until Labor ended that in 1986. Former prime minister John Howard considered bringing them back but decided not to. The Order of Australia system took the place of knighthoods.

Yesterday Abbott announced knights and dames were back. The honour will now sit within — and at the very top of — the Order of Australia system. People who’ve received awards under that system will keep them, but there will now be a rung above. This is Abbott’s key criterion to win a knighthood:

“This special recognition may be extended to Australians of ‘extraordinary and pre-eminent achievement and merit’ in their service to Australia or to humanity at large.”

Abbott says whoever is the serving governor-general will be made a knight or dame, which is why Quentin Bryce and Peter Cosgrove will be the first. As to others, the PM didn’t rule out former politicians or priests, although he hinted against it: “My intention is that this new award will go to those who have accepted public office rather than sought it.” It’s a caveat which leaves some wriggle room.

The prime minister decides who gets a knighthood (up to four a year) after consulting the chairman of the Order of Australia Council (currently former Defence Force chief Angus Houston). The decision then goes to the Queen for approval.

David Flint, national convenor of the Australians for Constitutional Monarchy, told Crikey that before 1986 the honour was usually physically conferred by the governor-general or state governor, but this time it will be “definitely the Queen … could you imagine what a contortion it would be if Dame Quentin Bryce tried to dub herself with a sword? There might be serious accident.” He says new recipients will “most definitely” be dubbed, i.e. tapped on both shoulders with a sword.

Who’s been made a knight or dame in the past?

Former PMs and GGs, along with military types and judges. Some business figures and archbishops were made knights, as were some university vice-chancellors and a few artists and sportsmen. There aren’t many people from science, arts, literature and culture. In Britain, celebrities like Elton John, Mick Jagger and Elizabeth Taylor are dames and knights, but that’s not the case here.

Former Liberal PMs got a good run; Bob Menzies was a knight, as were John Gorton and Billy McMahon. Enid Lyons (the first woman in the House of Representatives) was a dame. Former GGs to get the honour include Ninian Stephen (a special type of knighthood), Zelman Cowen, Richard Casey and Paul Hasluck.

Given the tradition of former Liberal prime ministers being made a knight, John Howard is a contender. He’s got honours form; Australians for Constitutional Monarchy lauded Howard for being “presented with a rare and exclusive accolade from the Queen” in 2012 when he was made a member of the Order of Merit at Buckingham House. That’s when the monarch picks someone based on their distinguished service. ACM says on its website:

“Knighthoods should have been restored, as we proposed, after John Howard and General Peter Cosgrove liberated East Timor.”

It’s worth noting that Howard has also received the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom. Still, Abbott’s caveat that the award should not go to those who sought public office seems to rule out Howard — unless he has another feather in his cap.

David Flint suggests religious leaders be considered. “It would be appropriate I think,” he told Crikey, provided they had “achieved something considerable”. Flint singles out the nun Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first Catholic saint, as a strong candidate for a dame. But he concedes there are two problems: she may well not have accepted it, and she is “well and truly” dead. Flint also suggests longtime NSW governor Marie Bashir.

Gary Kent, ACT spokesman for ACM, says people from arts, science and sport should be considered. Kent suggests scientist Ian Frazer, who helped develop a vaccine against cervical cancer (he’s already a Companion of the Order of Australia). “He’s contributed enormously to Australian life,” Kent said. And he proposes tennis player Rod Laver.

As for one of Australia’s most famous dames — Dame Edna Everage — Kent reckons she should be formalised in the role. “She’s already a dame, but I don’t think he’s a sir,” Kent mused of the cross-dressing character played by Barry Humphries, who can be described as a self-appointed dame. “He or she has made an enormous contribution to Australian artistic life and theatre over many years, he’s a very recognisable Australian abroad, and I think if anyone qualified for a knighthood it’s Barry … I genuinely mean that.” Flint was not so sure: “Dame Edna already has one.”

Imperial units will be introduced later in the year and currency system is to be reverted to the good old pennies and shillings (so that Gina can start paying the employees what they really deserve). Ahead to the past dear Australians! Horse carriage travel will finally make the fitting use for the quality of the roads here. And who needs to fly if we won’t have Qantas anymore? They say people in the third world countries may be poor but are genuinely more happy - so I guess this government IS taking us to a better place

I’m guessing the first posthumous knighthood will go to B A Santamaria.

Cathy Alexander, you don’t need to dig too deep into Queensland history during the Joh era to unearth questionable knighthoods. Not all of them were allowed to keep their gongs once sanity prevailed following the Fitzgerald Inquiry.

I’m pleased to see that Dame Everage is being permitted to retain her entitlement. But if it’s going to be about contribution to humanity, politicians of any stripe are immediately ruled out - scientists contribute to humanity. Politicians suck out humanity.

So now it’s official! The Abbott govt is actually a Monty Python sketch, perhaps to end with the cabinet in loincloths, hanging on gibbets and singing “You can always look on the bright of life”. Seriously though, I truly hope Quentin Bryce and Peter Cosgrove have the dignity to refuse this piece of medieval nonsense.

Just a minor correction to the article. The Order of Australia did not take the place of knighthoods. The Order was instituted in 1975 under Gough Whitlam, and it it had the knight/dame level, and the medal, added in 1976 under Malcom Fraser. Bob Hawke decided not to recommend any new knights/dames in the Order of Australia in 1984. Tony Abbott is now resuming the practise, but with a restricted number of a maximum of 4/year.
On the other hand, Imperial (or ‘British’) knights/dames were stopped at the federal level in 1973 by Whitlam, but the States could still nominate them and did so until 1989 (i.e. both Australian and Imperial honours operated side-by-side between 1975 and 1989).
The States provide half the members of the Order of Australia Council and so gradually came to channel all their honours through the Order. However, if any state wanted to, it could create its own honours system (such as an Order of the Black Swan in WA, with or without knights/dames) and operate it independently of the federal (Australian) system. This occurs in some of the Canadian provinces which operate their own systems independently of the Order of Canada.
The raving in some media today about a return of Imperial honours is egregious and misleading and only reveals to the readers/listeners/viewers the actual laziness of some journalists and the myopia of 1990s nationalists.
Knights and dames of the Order of Australia is now a 21st century Australian initiative. From the few red-faced rants I’ve seen on TV, it is, paradoxically, only old Australian nationalists who really remain obsessed with all things British.
As to likely candidates for the new and rare Knights and Dames of Australia, my money would be on Marie Bashir and Michael Kirby for a start.

I suggest that if Labor want to put a stop to this idiocy they should put forward a list of people that they promise to knight when they get back in power (it will happen sooner of later) and the list should look a little like this…
Tim Flannery
Father Bob Maguire
Julian Burnside QC
Nick Cave
Malcolm Frazer
Mick Gatto
Dr Bob Brown
Malcolm Turnbull
Dr Phillip Nitschke
Elle MacPherson
Baz Luhrman
Peter Garrett
a bunch of leaders of the most militant unions and every environmental, indigenous, feminist, left wing looney ratbag they can think of that will get right up the Libs noses….

Joh Bjelke Peterson, when Premier of Queensland, actually put himself forward to Queen Elizabeth for a knighthood - and got it, as you do.
In the early 1990s a prominent Queensland construction magnate, Mick Curtain, who was and is a big name in Papua New Guinea (and did a few favours for various Queensland governments back in the day), was recommended to the Queen by the Prime Minister of PNG (they still do knighthoods) and duly became Sir Mick Curtain.

Well it’s back to the future with this prime minister. But we knew that already. He’s probably just restored this system so he can give John Howard the gong. I can’t bear to even think about it. This country is going to the dogs.

Bruce Hassan, there is no difference between British, Imperial, State and Federal knighthoods and whether or not they can exist side-by-side with other Australian awards: By whatever name, the titles “knight” and “dame” are still reminders of England’s bygone Empire, of 1066 and of royal patronage.

Can you be a war criminal and a Knight?
If so, Howard will be the next one. I hope they publish the citation accompanying the honour. “Invaded Iraq on false information, in company of two other criminal nations, and caused to be killed in excess of 100,000 innocent persons”.
I can’t wait and see that grovelling, it will make me “proud” to be an Australian!

Personally appointed by the-then Queensland Premier, the then Queensland Police Commissioner Terry Lewis was knighted. Oh wait, he was also stripped of it too. The fourteenth person in as many centuries to be stripped of a knighthood.

Interesting, I’ve done some digging based on these comments. Sir Joh was indeed awarded “The Order of St Michael and St George- Knights Commander” in 1984 (and he was granted a Centenary Medal in 2001). So he retained his knighthood, right? Lady Flo certainly retained use of the title.

Dave Matthews is right - I clearly remember Mrs Edna Everage curtseying to Gough Whitlam and his response ‘Arise, Dame Edna’. This was the only time that I can recall the grand Dame’s being speechless.

I wonder how long it will be before we have our Sir Rupert and Dame Gina?

Cathy Alexander, yes, Sir Joh kept his gong but, as pointed out by Observer (#24), his hand-picked Police Commissioner lost his in the fray. You’ll find businessmen, developers & construction people received knighthoods during the Joh regime - but not many scientists.

Yes, Joh kept his, and therefore his wife retained her title - see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Bjelke-Petersen . Terry Lewis, however was stripped of all his honours, as Observer noted. All honours system have provisions for stripping honours from awardees. Within an Order, technically a person is ‘dispensed’ with, once upon a time through a ‘degradation’ ritual as happened (in his absence) to Emperor Hirohito in 1941 when he was removed from the (English) Order of the Garter.
However, being the recipient of a knighthood/damehood does not mean the person is more likely to be corrupt, as I think is being implied in the discussion.
The old Imperial honours that Bjelke Petersen and Lewis received were given out in some volume, and allegations of buying those honours were not uncommon, which is really what brought them into disrepute rather than perceptions of foreignness. I don’t see that the Order of Australia knights/dames (all 15 appointed since 1976) have ever been like that or ever will be if they are restricted to a maximum of 4 per year.

NJPC: agree 100%…but you’re figure of 100K murdered by the illegal invaders is wrong…the British Medical Association publication ‘The Lancet’ puts the figure at at between 600K & 900K. The brilliant UK investigative website Media Lens quotes the Lancet survey author as saying:
‘There are a series of surveys now implying ½ million deaths is a low side estimate… I think the 650,000 estimate in the second Lancet study was low…

‘Thus, I think there is little doubt ½ million died violently. I suspect the direct and indirect deaths exceeded 1,000,000…’ (Email to Media Lens, Les Roberts, January 11, 2014)

I’d second your nomination of George Pell, though I think Lord rather than Sir since it’s about as close as he’s going to get. I think he’s in with a very good chance, and he’s certainly “achieved something considerable”.

In what way does Quenten Bryce meet the criteria for a knighthood?? “This special recognition may be extended to Australians of ‘extraordinary and pre-eminent achievement and merit’ in their service to Australia or to humanity at large.” WTF has she ever done that meets this criteria ? Oh, I see, it goes to someone who IS the GG, OR has done something truly wonderful AND isn’t in public office because they wanted to be - they can be mutually exclusive. Not that I’m sure what these reluctant wonderful public servants look like.

And it seems being a hypocrite won’t rule you out - with Quenten being a double hypocrite - a republican that takes the job as Queen’s representative AND who accepts a knighthood. I heard her today saying what a wonderful time she’s had as GG. I’m so happy for her.

Bruce Hassan @13: “Knights and dames of the Order of Australia is now a 21st century Australian initiative.”

It’s an Australian initiative to re-institute an Australian honour which needs the approval of the sovereign of the UK!!! To me it is utterly surreal that Australia is now in the position that its highest award now cannot be awarded solely by Australians. In that sense it is indeed a throw-back to imperial honours.

Dave Matthews @ 18
Dame Edna’s nephew is actually Barry with two rs. Sorry to be so pedantic but you know what Edna can be like.
Seriously though, all of the comments on Crikey and anywhere half sane are just people taking the p#ss over this one.
It will be interesting to see Dennis and David’s well written and erudite reasoning in The Australian tomorrow on another brilliant decision by Abbott and Brandis. According to A and B, it’s because all the young people say they want it.
I think those young people would have been talking about Game of Thrones down at the Catholic Youth Club and their remarks misinterpreted.

Perhaps some of the retrenched car industry workers will be able to retrain or diversify as blacksmiths because, under the stewardship of Abbott, it appears that sword-making is about to have a revival…

Dame Margret Scott, now 92, helped found the Australian Ballet, founded and directed the Australian Ballet School for 25 years, and has continued to this day to mentor and build Australia’s enviable reputation as a source of brilliant and dedicated dance talent. The AB and the school are directed by her graduates as are several major companies in the US and Europe, including the Royal Ballet School. She danced on stage till her 70s appearing in a work by Graeme Murphy, a student of hers she found in Tasmania as teenager, now a world renowned choreographer. She was also awarded an AC. Unlike some, she is not a publicity seeker and would rather let her students speak for themselves, and prefers the company of dancers and choreographers, (creative people) to the power players and those who would bask in the reflected glory of artists.
Despite her reputation and title almost everyone knows her simply as Maggie.
I think with the passing of Dame Elizabeth Murdoch she is the one of the three remaining living Australian DBE Recipients. Both her awards were conferred by the GG in a simple ceremony in Canberra. At the last she was more interested in talking to the NT cop who had won a bravery award than anyone else.
A remarkable woman, known to me as mum.